Indian Population in New York: Cities, Jobs, Income, Students & Community Trends
New York is home to one of the largest and most diverse Indian communities in the country, concentrated in the New York City metro — Queens, Long Island, and the northern suburbs. It spans high-earning finance and medicine professionals as well as working-class families and small-business owners. Exact counts vary by definition.
For the national picture, see our pillar guide on the Indian population in USA.
Last updated: July 5, 2026
Indian Population in New York — Quick Facts
- State rank / concentration
- Very high
- Major Indian metro areas
- New York City, Queens, Long Island
- Common occupations
- IT, medicine, engineering, finance, business, academia
- Student / university hubs
- Queens, New York City, Long Island area universities
- Community drivers
- Finance, healthcare, business, students
- Best-known Indian areas
- Queens, New York City, Long Island, Brooklyn, Westchester
How many Indians live in New York?
Exact numbers vary depending on ACS/Census definitions. New York is one of the major states for Indian-origin residents because of jobs, universities, family networks, and business communities. New York has one of the largest total Indian-origin populations in the U.S.
Where Indians live in New York
The largest Indian communities in New York cluster around these cities and suburbs:
Why Indians move to New York
- Finance, medicine, and healthcare jobs
- World-class universities
- Long-established Indian neighborhoods
- Small business and retail ownership
- Global business connections
Indian occupations in New York
Finance, medicine, healthcare, hospitality, retail/small business, and academia.
IT & software engineering
The single largest cluster — software, cloud, data/AI, and IT services.
Healthcare & medicine
Physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and healthcare administrators.
Engineering
Semiconductors, mechanical, electrical, and civil engineering.
Finance & accounting
Banking, analysis, accounting, and fintech roles.
Academia & research
University faculty, postdocs, and R&D scientists.
Small business & franchises
Hospitality, retail, franchises, and services — a deep entrepreneurial base.
Indian students in New York
NYU, Columbia, Cornell, SUNY, and CUNY campuses host large numbers of Indian students across the state.
Student numbers use general patterns; check university and IIE Open Doors data for specific enrollment figures.
Visa and immigration patterns in New York
Diverse status mix — long-settled citizens, green card holders, H-1B, and students. Common statuses include H-1B and other work visas, F-1 students on OPT/STEM OPT, green card holders (many in the India employment-based backlog), family-sponsored immigrants, and naturalized or U.S.-born citizens.
Indian communities by region in New York
Punjabi communities
Historic community in Richmond Hill, Queens.
Gujarati communities
Business and professional families across the metro.
Bengali communities
Strong cultural and academic presence.
South Indian communities
Tamil, Telugu, and Malayali communities across Queens and Long Island.
Community patterns are based on visible cultural associations, business communities, migration history, and metro-level settlement patterns, not official Indian-state-of-origin Census counts. U.S. Census/ACS typically tracks ancestry, race, language spoken at home, and country of birth — not always Indian state of origin. This section describes common community patterns, not exact official counts.
Indian economic contribution in New York
New York's Indian community spans finance, medicine, hospitality, and dense small business, contributing significantly to the local economy — though exact tax contribution by state is not published as a simple official number.
High-skilled labor
Deep representation in technology, medicine, engineering, and finance — fields central to U.S. competitiveness.
Founders & executives
Indian Americans lead and found companies across tech and services, including several of the largest U.S. firms.
Small business ownership
A dense base of hospitality, retail, franchise, and service businesses that employ locally.
University ecosystems
Indian international students pay significant tuition and sustain graduate programs and campus economies.
Essential services
Physicians, nurses, and pharmacists deliver frontline care in communities across the country.
Tax & local spending
High household incomes suggest significant federal, state, and local tax contributions, plus homeownership and local spending — an inference, not an official figure.
Indian Population in New York — FAQ
How many Indians live in New York?
Exact numbers vary depending on ACS/Census definitions, so there is no single official count. New York has one of the largest total Indian-origin populations in the U.S. — driven by jobs, universities, family networks, and business communities. Check the latest ACS tables for a specific figure.
Which city in New York has the most Indians?
The largest Indian communities in New York are concentrated around Queens, New York City, Long Island, Brooklyn. These metros and suburbs have the densest Indian populations, businesses, temples, and cultural associations.
Where do most Indians live in New York?
Most Indians in New York live in and around Queens, New York City, Long Island, Brooklyn, clustered near major job markets, universities, and established immigrant neighborhoods rather than spread evenly across the state.
Why do Indians move to New York?
Indians move to New York mainly for finance, medicine, and healthcare jobs, world-class universities, long-established indian neighborhoods, plus established community and family networks. New York has one of the largest total Indian-origin populations in the U.S.
Are there many Indian students in New York?
Yes. NYU, Columbia, Cornell, SUNY, and CUNY campuses host large numbers of Indian students across the state.
What jobs do Indians do in New York?
Finance, medicine, healthcare, hospitality, retail/small business, and academia. Indian Americans here are highly represented in professional and technical fields, plus small business and hospitality.
Which Indian communities are common in New York?
New York has visible Punjabi, Gujarati, Bengali, South Indian communities, among others. These patterns are based on cultural associations, business communities, and settlement history — not official Indian-state-of-origin Census counts.
Is the Indian population in New York growing?
Yes. Like the U.S. Indian-origin population overall — which grew about 174% from 2000 to 2023 — New York's Indian community has been growing, driven by work visas, students, and family immigration.
How does New York compare with the Indian population in USA?
New York has one of the largest total Indian-origin populations in the U.S. Nationally, about 4.9 million people identify as Indian-origin. See the Indian population in USA pillar guide for the full state-by-state picture.
Sources & Methodology
Pew Research Center — Indian Americans fact sheet ↗
≈4.9M Indian-origin, a broader definition than the Census “Asian Indian alone” count (2021–2023 ACS/IPUMS).
U.S. Census Bureau — 2020 Census Asian population ↗
Asian Indian alone: 4,397,737; up 50%+ since 2010.
U.S. Census Bureau — American Community Survey (ACS) ↗
Detailed race, ancestry, income, and geography tables.
Migration Policy Institute — Indian Immigrants in the U.S. ↗
≈3.2M Indian immigrants; one of the largest origin groups.
USCIS — H-1B data & characteristics reports ↗
Country-of-birth breakdown of H-1B approvals.
This page uses public demographic sources and rounded estimates. Definitions vary: Asian Indian alone, Indian alone or in combination, Indian-origin, Indian-born, Indian immigrant, and Indian American are not the same category. State and metro estimates should be checked against the latest ACS tables before citing as exact numbers. This page combines public demographic datasets and rounded estimates. Terms like Indian American, Asian Indian, Indian immigrant, Indian-born, Indian-origin, and 'Indian alone or in combination' can produce different totals, so figures are presented as estimates and ranges rather than exact counts. Always verify a specific number against the primary source before citing it.
Related guides
Written / reviewed by Deepak Middha · CA, Series 65
Last updated: July 5, 2026